So you think we would be best served to bring this to the table
(according to the story below)? "they let go of their attachments to
worldly things, including their own material bodies, they will begin
to experience a sense of peace of immeasurably greater value than any
wealth or comfort material existence could ever offer."
The story:
The Upanishad examined in this book is the Kathopanishad, a
scripture that unveils the mystery of death and the meaning of life.
An old story is told about the beginning of time. The universe was in
the process of being created and not everything was yet in order or
fully functioning. Before the universe could be totally engaged, the
Creator had one final task to complete. To help him complete this task
the Lord summoned an angel.
The angel came. The Creator told the angel that he, the Lord, had one
last job to do in the making of the universe.
“I saved the best for last,” the Creator told the angel. “I have
here the real meaning of human life, the treasure of life, the purpose
and goal of all this that I have created.
“Because this treasure is valuable beyond description,” the
Creator continued, “I want you to hide it. Hide this treasure so well
that human beings will know its value to be immeasurable.”
“I will do so, Lord,” said the angel. “I will hide the treasure of
life on the highest mountain top.”
“The treasure will be too easy to find there,” said the Creator.
“Then,” said the angel, “I will hide the treasure in the great
desert wilderness. Surely, the treasure will not be easily found
there.”
“No, too easy.”
“In the vast reaches of the universe?” asked the angel. “That
would make a difficult search.”
“No,” the Creator said pondering. Then his face showed a flash of
inspiration. “I know. I have the place. Hide the treasure of life
within the human being. He will look there last and know how precious
this treasure is. Yes, hide the treasure there.”
This treasure and the search for it are the subjects of the
Upanishads. Given the nature of human beings, that treasure was indeed
well hidden. As the Lord said in the story above, the last place human
beings will look for the ultimate Reality is within themselves. They
will look to all the diverse objects of the world for meaning, and
each time, with each well-meant effort, come away with nothing worth
having. In this way a perpetual cycle of births and deaths is created.
They spend life running after things that are only temporal and when
death comes they are empty handed, with just an invitation to do it
over again.
The Upanishads say the ignorant person keeps accepting that
invitation, but the wise person sees the futility in the endless
pattern of death and rebirth, and looks within for that which is
eternal.
According to the Upanishads, that which we seek within is called
Atman, the pure Self, our real identity, that, as the Bible says, is
in the image and likeness of God. The real Self is not recognizable by
the senses or the mind. It is the hidden treasure within the soul, and
dwells in the innermost chamber of the heart. It is very subtle,
unfathomable, and eternal. It existed at the beginning of creation,
exists now, and will continue to exist in the future.
The phenomenal universe, as the Upanishads explain repeatedly, is
impermanent and constantly changing, evolving, growing, decaying, and
dying. It goes on endlessly this way—coming, going, dying. That is its
nature. Anyone who becomes attached to the phenomenal world with all
of its changing forms is sure to come to grief in the end. Yet the
phenomenal world plays a role in bringing a person to the realm of the
immortal. The pain and fear of death that are natural to the material
world are meant to guide a person toward wisdom. A time comes when the
individual realizes that there must be more to existence than this.
Then he or she begins to seriously look for an alternative as the
ultimate purpose of life.
The Upanishad examined in this book is the Kathopanishad, a scripture
that unveils the mystery of death and the meaning of life. Of all the
Upan-ishads, Kathopanishad is the most lucid and accessible on the
knowledge of Atman here and hereafter. It clearly defines the
alternatives confronting humanity concerning the purpose of life and
the ultimate choices that have to be made.
This Upanishad is a beautiful, poetic explanation of the mystery of
life and death, the law of karma, and how to attain liberation from
grief and distress. It is composed in one hundred nineteen mantras and
constructed around a dialogue between a spiritually minded young man
named Nachiketa on one hand and Yama, the king of death on the other.
Yama, unlike portrayals in Greek or Roman mythology of the king of
death, is not something dreadful. He was the first man born on the
earth to die and was a self realized master. In this scripture, Yama
may be compared to the highest discriminating intelligence of the
human being, while Nachiketa represents the lower mind, albeit with
strength and courage.
The dialogue between the two reveals the character of a dedicated but
yet unrealized spiritual seeker. Nachiketa is someone we can
understand as well as admire. Though he has many doubts, his faith is
indisputable. Above all he harbors a deep desire for the highest
knowledge and ultimate happiness.
Nachiketa is tested by Yama to determine how strong his desire for
truth is. Is it stronger than the attractions to the things of desire
in the world? Yes. Nachiketa renounces everything for the sake of Self-
realization. Above all else he wants to know Atman, the real Self.
In his faith Nachiketa knows that all the pleasures, even the highest
joys of life, do not continue forever. They pass away, leaving pain in
their wake. No matter where one goes, or what one does, as long as
worldly desires are present there can be no real peace. It doesn’t
matter whether a person lives totally in the world, surrounded by and
fully partaking of the world’s pleasures, or in the wilderness apart
from all enticements. Whenever there are desires for worldly things
there will be discontent.
Death is no more an escape from all these desires than is the barren
desert wilderness. People cling to their desires till death and drag
them all back with them again to the worldly plane where they can be
fulfilled.
It is only in practical daily life that people can deal with desires
and attain self-control over the senses and thoughts that drive the
desires. People must learn to rise above desires and see their limited
value. Only when they rise above desires and gain mastery over their
senses and thoughts will they begin to realize real joy. They will see
that as they let go of their attachments to worldly things, including
their own material bodies, they will begin to experience a sense of
peace of immeasurably greater value than any wealth or comfort
material existence could ever offer.
Nachiketa understood this innately. You might say his conscience was
directing him, and he had the courage to follow his conscience instead
of tracing the well-worn steps of so many others who chose the path of
material pursuits.
The path described by Yama in the Kathopanishad is the path of yoga,
whose aim is the spiritual union between the individual soul and the
supreme Self of all.
http://www.swamij.com/swami-rama-kathopanishad.htm
On Jan 20, 3:48 pm, Vamadevananda <[email protected]> wrote:
> An entire Upanishad, Kathopanishad, is devoted to the death phenomenon
> and beyond, before taking up the familiar core Advaita thought.
>
> It starts with Nachiketa posing his query to Yama, the God of death.
> The latter says, " O Nachiketa, take all the boons of the three
> worlds, and more, but please excuse me from answering this one
> question of yours." The lad ( yes, Nachiketa was but a kid ! )
> insists, spurning all the goodies !
>
> It is also the work that fulfilled my own quest, one winter night more
> than a decade ago.
>
> On Jan 20, 4:54 pm, Pat <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
> > On 19 Jan, 15:20, Molly <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > Always a personal choice, yes. Yet some deaths seem so much more
> > > peaceful. My own mother came home from vacation, entered the hospital
> > > not feeling well, and died from a recurrence of cancer in three days,
> > > just enough time to gather her family, and all seven children (spouses
> > > and some grandchildren) were there at the final, peaceful moment.
>
> > > My mother in law fought it all the way, requiring greater amounts of
> > > meds to keep her calm, languishing for months. The person we knew was
> > > gone months before that moment.
>
> > > I wonder what it is we bring to the moment that makes the difference.
>
> > I can only think that it's the individual's understanding of the
> > process. And that includes Lee's 'fear' element, as well as any
> > religious/non-religious beliefs ABOUT death. Both the religious and
> > non-religious could have perfectly good reasons for not fearing it:
> > the religious, because they believe that there is a life-after-death
> > and their belief that they will experience a 'good' afterlife based on
> > their beliefs about their own deeds during life and the non-religious,
> > as they (MAY) expect absolutely nothing to follow, which, if true,
> > would be nothing to fear.
>
> > > On Jan 19, 9:11 am, Lee <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > It's just gota be a personal thing hasn't it?
>
> > > > My Grandad died just last week, he died of Liver Cancer, he had been
> > > > clinging to life for the last three years and went out looking gaunt
> > > > and wasted. My Nan has colon cancer and has just decided to not have
> > > > treatment for it after watching my grandad fade out slowly.
>
> > > > It's just gotta be personal choice, yes?
>
> > > > On 19 Jan, 14:51, Molly <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > I watched my friend Chris Bernard face his eminent death with love,
> > > > > courage and dignity. While participating in this with him, I
> > > > > wondered, what is the state of mind that death requires of us? What
> > > > > can we bring to it to ease our own suffering? Should we rage against
> > > > > the dying of the light like Dylan Thomas? Should we reach out for
> > > > > spiritual support, ask forgiveness, say farewell? What do YOU
> > > > > think?- Hide quoted text -
>
> > > - Show quoted text -
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